About:

Thank you for nominating me for this wonderful reward. I'm Dr. Diana Ilyasova, and I'm an optometric physician. I practice in a community based eye clinic in the Bronx, New York. My special interests are glaucoma, emergency eyecare and pediatric eyecare, as well as management of many eye diseases such as diabetes, dry eyes, cataracts, and macular degeneration.

I was born in former Soviet Union, and immigrated with my family to New York in 1991. Since we had no family here, we lived in a shelter until my family got some financial help to move into an apartment of our own. Life as an immigrant was awfully hard for my parents as they couldn't work their professions due to lack of language and a degree. They worked long hours on minimum pay, working jobs they didn't like, just to sustain living expenses of a big city. Since young age, my humble father would always say that when he was young aspiring man living in Communist Russia, he dreamed of living the American Dream, and although he had many barriers, he urged us to dream big and achieve bigger, and that would be his ultimate blessing. Since young age, I was unstoppable. Twice valedictorian, Honors student in elementary to high school, editor of school news, Dean's listed in college, volunteering in soup kitchens, helping the homeless and etc. I graduated CUNY Hunter College with Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, and immediately entered the highly competitive program of Doctor of Optometry in State University of New York. I completed externships in Woodhull Hospital in Bushwick, Brooklyn where I concentrated on emergency eyecare and pediatric eye care, including amblyopia. I also completed externship in East New York Diagnostic and Treatment Center that enabled me to get valuable skills and experience of many ocular diseases such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, in diverse community. My passion to help people and treat people with same love, respect and attention no matter of age, sex, color, religion, etc. is something I'm grateful to my parents for instilling in me since childhood. My passion for eyes started when I began working for an optometrist in college years, and the rest was history. Today, I passionately help all kinds of people and ages with their eyecare needs, and I couldn't have asked for more. 

Truly yours,

Dr. Diana Ilyasova

Co-Owner Of Pelham Parkway Vision Center

Industry: Health Services

Current Organization: Pelham Parkway Vision Center

Specialty: Optometry

Honors & Awards: Recognized by the Pelham Parkway Community Board

Affiliations: Works within the Pelham Parkway Community, Bronx, NY, New York State Optometric Association,

Website: https://pelhamparkwayvisioncenter.com/